Refrigerator shelf accessory



May 28, 1963 H. A. NEUMANN REFRIGERATOR SHELF ACCESSORY Filed 001;. 2'7, 1961 INVENTOR.

3,091,343 Patented May 28, 1963 its 3,091,343 REFRIGERATOR SHELF ACCESSORY Herbert A. Neumann, Canadian Research and Development Foundation, 1434 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed Oct. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 148,142 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-74) This invention rel-ates to improvements in refrigerators and, more particularly to improvements in storage accessories for use in conjunction with refrigerators.

In refrigerators it is highly desirable to utilize all available storage space in order to derive the maximum benefit therefrom, but at the same time it is necessary that packages and the like stored therein are readily available. Other attempts to solve this problem have resulted in rotatable shelves which also adjust in height, the disadvantages thereof being the added expense during manufacture, due to the necessity for having semi cylindrical walls and also the shelves must be rotated in order to raise or lower them.

Furthermore, with these and with conventional refrigerators there remains a problem of retaining a number of bowls, dishes and the like of various shapes and sizes which do not readily lend themselves to stacking and which may also be somewhat unstable. These conditions are exemplified by the practice of making jelly in mixing bowls, the bowls having only small base areas, so that while the jelly is still liquified, it is easily possible to upset a bowl and spill the contents.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerator shelf accessory to be hereinafter known as a shelf asesmbly which will permit the stacking of a number of containers without damage to their contents.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shelf assembly which is adapted to receive various shaped containers and hold them stable.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a shelf assembly which will permit independent rotation of the individual shelf units.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a shelf assembly which will permit independent height adjustment of individual shelves without the necessity of rotating said shelves.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a shelf assembly which is easily attachable or detachable to or from any refrigerator shelf.

These and other objects and features of this invention will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fractional perspective view of a shelf assembly embodying the present invention shown installed in a refrigerator.

FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the invention shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, shelf assembly includes a vertical, threaded rod 11 having a threaded collar 12 assembled thereon adjacent the lower end 13 thereof. Collar 12 provides a stop member for a large, plain washer 14 adapted to rest on the bars 15 of a refrigerator shelf 16. Rod 11 is of a sufficiently small diameter to enable the lower end 13 to pass downwardly between two adjacent bars 15, extending therebelow to receive another plain washer 17 and a wing nut 18. Tightening of wing nut 18 therefore results in compression of bars 15 by washers 14 and 17 and rod 11 is maintained in substantially perpendicular relationship with shelf 16.

As particularly illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper end 19 of rod 11 may be similarly attached to an upper refrigerator shelf 20 by means of a threaded collar 21, plain washers 22 and 23 oppositely disposed about two adjacent bars 24 of shelf 20 and a wing nut 25 being adapted to rigidly retain upper end 19 of rod 11 substantially at right angles to shelf 20.

It may be seen that collars 12 and 21 may be suitably adjusted on rod 11 to allow for varying distances between refrigerator shelves 16 and 20.

A number of knurled nuts 26 are threadedly engaged with rod 11 in spaced apart relationship, each nut 26 being adapted to support a smoothbore bush 27.

Bushes 27 are close but sliding fits on threaded rod 11 and each is adapted to support an arm 28 normal to the axis thereof.

Arms 28 may support a variety of shelf members, those illustrated being a ring support 29 for the retention of hemispherical type containers or conical containers 30 as shown in FIG. 2, and a fiat rectangular support '31, suit-ably perforated to permit a flat bottomed container to be stood thereon on to accommodate various taper sided containers.

It will be noted that the height of each bush 27, and, therefore, its arm 28 and relevant support members 29, 31 or the like, may be adjusted by the screwing of its particular knurled nut 26 up or down rod 11. At the same time, any or all of arms 28 may be rotated about rod 11 so that any containers supported thereby may be easily brought to the front of the refrigerator for easy access, or stored at the back of the refrigerator when not required. Furthermore, all arms 28 may be substantially vertically aligned and the various containers retained thereby closely stacked in vertical alignment Without touching each other and without any danger of spillage.

The general design of the individual parts of the invention as explained above may be varied according to the requirements in regards to manufacture and production thereof, while still remaining within the spirit and principle of the invention, Without prejudicing the novelty thereof.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A refrigerator shelf accessory including vertical rod means; means for the detachable attachment of said rod to said shelf; said detachable attachment means ineluding a lower stop member; upper and lower plain washers and nut means assembled on said rod means; said upper washer being assembled between said stop member and the upper surface of said shelf; said lower washer being co-operable with the undersurface of said shelf and said out means being threadedly assembled to the lower end of said rod, and adapted to co-operate with said stop member to compress said shelf between said upper and lower washers; at least one bush slidable and rotatable upon said rod; each of said bushes supporting at least one arm extending normal to the axis thereof; each of said arms terminating in a container support member; vertically adjustable means upon said rod for the support of said bushes; and a second detachable attachment means located at the upper end of said rod, co-operable with a second shelf in said refrigerator for the support of said rod.

2. A refrigerator shelf accessory including a vertical, threaded rod; a lower collar threadedly attached to said rod; a plain washer assembled on said rod outwardly of said collar and resting on the upper surface of said refrigerator shelf; a second plain washer assembled on said rod adjacent the undersurface of said shelf; said rod passing through said shelf; and a wing nut, threadedly attached to said rod outwardly of said second washer, co-operable with said collar in retaining said Washers and said washers and said shelf in compressive engagement, a plurality of bushes closely slidable and rotatable on said rod; an equal plurality of knurled nuts threadedly engaged on said rod; each of said nuts providing a vertical support for one of said bushes; at least one arm extending radially outwardly from each of said bushes; each of said arms terminating a container support member, an upper collar threadedly attached to the upper end of said rod and washer; and Wing nut means co-operable with a second shelf in said refrigerator for the rigid support of the upper end of the said rod.

References Cited-in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rapoport May 9, 1911 Sellers Feb. 22, 1921 Jewett July 25, 1922 Licht'm-an Feb. 13, 1940 Phillips May 28, 1940 Ingwer Nov. 14, 1950 

1. A REFRIGERATOR SHELF ACCESSORY INCLUDING VERTICAL ROD MEANS; MEANS FOR THE DETACHABLE ATTACHMENT OF SAID ROD TO SAID SHELF; SAID DETACHABLE ATTACHMENT MEANS INCLUDING A LOWER STOP MEMBER; UPPER AND LOWER PLAIN WASHERS AND NUT MEANS ASSEMBLED ON SAID ROD MEANS SAID UPPER WASHER BEING ASSEMBLED BETWEEN SAID STOP MEMBER AND THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID SHELF; SAID LOWER WASHER BEING CO-OPERABLE WITH THE UNDERSURFACE OF SAID SHELF AND SAID NUT MEANS BEING THREADEDLY ASSEMBLED TO THE LOWER END OF SAID ROD, AND ADAPTED TO CO-OPERATE WITH SAID STOP MEMBER TO COMPRESS SAID SHELF BETWEEN SAID UPPER AND LOWER WASHERS; AT LEAST ONE BUSH SLIDABLE AND ROTATABLE UPON SAID ROD; EACH OF SAID BUSHES SUPPORTING AT LEAST ONE ARM EXTENDING NORMAL TO THE AXIS THEREOF; EACH OF SAID ARMS TERMINATING IN A CONTAINER SUPPORT MEMBER; VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE MEANS UPON SAID ROD FOR THE SUPPORT OF SAID BUSHES; AND A SECOND DETACHABLE ATTACHMENT MEANS LOCATED AT THE UPPER END OF SAID ROD, CO-OPERABLE WITH A SECOND SHELF IN SAID REFRIGERATOR FOR THE SUPPORT OF SAID ROD. 